What's In A Name?
by Keira-House M.D
Summary: Harry announces what he wants to name his son – Albus Severus Potter. Nobody takes it well. HP/GW & HG/DM


**Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter, it is the property of the brilliant J.K Rowling. This story is the product of her marvellous characters and world and my imagination.**

 **In this story Harry is thinking of the name Albus Severus for his and Ginny's first child so there is no James Sirius Potter yet.**

* * *

"YOU WANT TO WHAT!"

"I think it would be a really nice gesture Ginny. Dumbledore helped me so much and he was such a big part of defeating Voldemort. And Snape spied for almost two decades to keep us all safe all because he loved my mother so much."

"THOSE ARE NOT GOOD REASONS HARRY JAMES POTTER. DUMBLEDORE DIDN'T HELP YOU, HE POINTED YOU IN THE DIRECTION OF DANGER AND THEN LET YOU GO 'GROW AS A PERSON' AND 'SOLVE YOUR OWN PROBLEMS' AND BASICALLY DO HIS JOB FOR HIM. AND SNAPE? HE HATED YOU, HARRY. YES HE LOVED YOUR MOTHER BUT THAT DOESN'T MEAN HE WAS A NICE PERSON."

"Do you really need to shout Gin, you're right next to me."

He swore as his fuming wife sent a Stinging Hex and then a Bat-Bogey Hex at him, "Merlin Gin, calm down."

"I WILL CALM DOWN WHEN YOU FIND YOUR BRAIN. THIS IS THE STUPIDEST IDEA YOU'VE HAD SINCE YOU DECIDED TO WANDER INTO THE FORBIDDEN FOREST SO VOLDEMORT COULD KILL YOU."

"I'm just going to go to Ron's for a bit," Harry told her as he dodged flying bogies, "I'll see you later Gin."

And then he fled.

* * *

"HERMIONE. YOU NEED TO GET OVER HERE RIGHT NOW. HARRY HAS GONE COMPLETELY BARMY AND HE WANTS TO NAME THIS BABY ALBUS SEVERUS POTTER. YOU NEED TO COME OVER IMMEDIATELY SO WE CAN PLAN AN INTERVENTION. I REFUSE TO LET HIM DO THIS."

Hermione watched as Ginny's Howler began shredding itself and did a quick diagnostic spell on herself to check it hadn't damaged her hearing – when she got mad Ginny could be even worse than Mrs Weasley … and that was saying something.

Albus Severus Potter. Well that was a very Harry idea. Also terrible. Ginny was right, he had to be stopped.

She stood up and conjured her Patronus to send a message to Ron, Fred, George, Sirius, Luna, Neville, Remus and Tonks telling them to meet her at Potter Manor. Harry was exceptionally stubborn when he wanted to be and it would take all of them to talk him out of his latest bad idea.

* * *

"I don't know why you're bringing me back here Ron," Harry said as his friend practically forced him through the front door of Potter Manor, "Gin went mental at me earlier and I should really give her some time to calm down."

"Sorry mate, but you can't just hide out at my place, not when there's such an important matter at stake. I mean honestly – Albus Severus Potter. What are you thinking?"

Harry's eyes narrowed, "who told you?"

"Hermione. Ginny told her."

Harry frowned, "I don't know why everyone thinks it's such a bad idea."

Ron looked disgusted, "honestly Harry, I don't know how you think it _is_ a good idea."

And then he unceremoniously shoved Harry through the door they'd reached and into a room full of his worried looking friends.

There was a large banner hanging above the group flashing different colours and Harry was briefly reminded of the spell Hermione had used on Dean's banner back when they were first years at Hogwarts during his first Quidditch match. Except that banner had inspired him, whereas this one did anything but.

" _Intervention_ ," he read out, "really guys?"

Ron smiled sheepishly and held out a bowl of Harry's favourite snacks, "does it help that we brought nibbles?"

Harry remained unimpressed, and a little bit offended, "I managed to avoid getting killed by Voldemort for years guys. I think I'm capable of choosing a sensible name for my son."

"Clearly not," muttered Fred to George, who nodded, "it seems like all those near-death experiences had some kind of effect on his sanity. Such a shame."

"I can hear you, you know," Harry growled at the twins, "I am perfectly sane thank you very much."

"Harry," Hermione said in a tone that tried to be soothing but didn't quite manage it, "I understand your reasoning, but we just don't think it's a brilliant idea."

Harry scoffed, "you can't talk Hermione, Malfoy wants to call your kid Scorpius."

" _That's_ a family tradition," Hermione replied smoothly, "besides, I'm still trying to talk him around to the idea of Leo."

" _Lion_ ," Sirius snorted incredulously, "good luck with that."

"Don't underestimate the power of a mother," Tonks warned, "by the time Teddy was born Remus was ready to promise me anything if I'd just stop squeezing his hand – and he has a rather higher pain tolerance than most."

Remus winced at the memory while Hermione and Tonks shared a high five.

"Harry," said Sirius, "you know I love you like a son but this is not a good or sensible idea. I mean it's Snivellus for crying out loud, how can you even think –"

Hermione elbowed him and glared at Ron, who was nodding his agreement emphatically, "I know you didn't like Professor Snape, but maybe we can try and keep your old grudge out of it and focus on reasoning that doesn't include your Hogwarts-era bullying."

Sirius' eyes narrowed, clearly ready to defend his opinion of Severus Snape – which had only been marginally improved by the realisation, just after Snape's death, that he had remained a spy for the Order despite his apparent betrayal – but Hermione's glare quelled him. Hermione Granger-Malfoy was scary enough usually but being four months pregnant made Sirius even more wary of her temper.

"What Sirius means," Hermione explained, "is that Professor Snape did not have a good history with your father, and that his history with your mother was also quite fraught."

"Severus tried to do the right thing," Remus admitted, "but he was never what anyone would consider a kind man, nor do I believe he wished to be viewed as a hero. And Albus, though I owe him a great debt, made a lot of huge errors in judgement, especially towards the end of his life. It is something that really needs to be considered, having a namesake for your child. And it is especially important to think about it when those figures are as high profile as Albus and Severus – you should not let anyone tell you what to name your child, but you should also take into account what issues that name might cause for them in the future."

"And," Ginny said with her hands on her hips and a frown on her face, "you should also be considering what your _wife_ thinks. We are a team, Harry, and we make decisions together. I don't want to argue with you, or refuse to consider a name outright, but there is a line and I am not going to let you cross it, not with our children."

Harry looked at his angry wife, a little in despair at having clearly hurt her with his decision. But it was something he felt so strongly about and he was also irritated that none of them, not even Hermione (who had always had so much respect for Snape and Dumbledore), could seem to see his point of view.

"I'm sorry Gin," he told her, "but I really want to honour them. I know you might not believe it, but without them the war would probably not be over. I hope you come to understand that."

And, eager to escape their judgmental looks, Harry left the room.

* * *

"Tell me it isn't true."

"Get lost Malfoy."

"Now is that any way to talk to your best friend's adored and astoundingly good looking husband."

Harry sighed, "I really don't know what Hermione sees in you Malfoy. Now, I'm assuming you're asking about the baby name?"

"So it is true. Merlin, I though Granger was joking."

"Don't you ever think it's weird that you call your wife by her maiden name?"

Draco shrugged, "it's still her surname, sort of. You know she double barrels, though I've no idea why it's so important to her. Besides, she likes it. And I call her Hermione sometimes."

"When? I've never heard you."

"Well I'd certainly hope you've never been around while we –"

"Ok I get it Malfoy, Merlin there are some things a guy doesn't need to know about his best friend."

Malfoy sniggered at Harry's grimace but then his expression turned serious again.

"So back to this outrageous name choice of yours, Potter. What are you thinking? Your kid is going to have a hard enough time being half Weasley and half Boy-Who-Lived-Only-By-Fluke-And-The-Help-Of-More-Talented-Friends (cough my wife)."

"I don't need to explain my reasoning to _you_ , Malfoy – you might have managed to get Hermione to fall in love with you, though I still have my suspicions about how you managed that, but we are _not_ friends."

"Of course we're not friends, Potter," Malfoy said with an outraged look on his face, "but enquiring minds want to know how truly brain-damaged you must be to pick such a name for your child."

"Go away Malfoy."

"If you can't even manage to justify it then you're crazier than I thought."

"I _will_ hex you," Harry threatened, putting all the power he could into his glare.

Malfoy didn't seem at all intimidated, "of course you won't, you're too scared of Granger."

"Hermione would understand," Harry countered, even though deep down Hermione really did terrify him.

Malfoy just laughed, "delude yourself all you want, Potter."

And then, without a word of goodbye, he turned his back on Harry and vanished out of the door, still laughing to himself.

The absolute tosser.

* * *

"Harry said you've been harassing him, Draco."

"I wasn't harassing," her husband replied with an unconvincing look of innocence on his face, "I was merely trying to help him make a decision that wasn't so monumentally idiotic."

"So you _have_ been harassing him."

Draco pouted. Hermione thought he looked ridiculous.

"Maybe you should leave the task of convincing Harry of the error of his ways to those of us who can get through a conversation with him without starting a duel."

"That was one time."

Hermione raised an eyebrow.

"Alright," Draco conceded, "maybe more than once. But there was no challenging when I spoke to him yesterday."

"Just insulting then?" Hermione said.

"Baby steps, Granger, you can't expect me to just be nice to Potter without some time to get used to it."

"You and I have been married for a year, Draco, and we were dating for four years before that."

"Yeah, well Potter is very annoying," Draco muttered.

Hermione rolled her eyes, "you can be such a child Draco," she said as she waved her wand to summon her coat.

"Are you going out? You're not doing anything that might hurt the baby are you?"

"Merlin, Draco, do I look like an idiot? I am going to help sort out this Harry baby name issue and _you_ are going to stay far away from the whole situation. I told Theo that you'd be at Nott Manor by lunch so that you can have a pick-up game of Quidditch with him, Blaise, Adrian, Daphne and Greg."

"You arranged a playdate for me," said Draco flatly.

"Well if you will act like a child …" Hermione grinned, kissed him quickly and then apparated away.

Draco loved his wife fiercely, but sometimes he really wanted to hex her (and her frustrating friends).

* * *

"I blame the Dursleys," Sirius said gloomily to Remus as they sat watching Teddy on his toy broom.

"For what?"

"Well if they'd not been gigantic bullies I'm sure Harry would have been better adjusted emotionally and able to see that clearly Dumbledore and Snivellus are not role models."

"Pad–" Remus warned, "Severus and Albus made mistakes but they both sacrificed their lives to help in the war and –"

"And I shouldn't belittle their sacrifice by childish name calling and bitterness. I know, Moony, I've heard the lecture before from Hermione, many times over."

"Sirius," Remus said sharply again.

"I'm sorry, but it just makes me so bloody angry. And you can't deny that putting him with the Dursleys was a stupid idea."

"You know I agree Padfoot, but we can't change –"

Remus paused a moment as Teddy, going a little too fast, suddenly toppled off his toy broom.

"Damn," he muttered, "I could handle him inheriting Dora's metamorphmagus abilities, though I'm sure it'll be hell when he's older, but he had to get her clumsiness too."

He stood to help his son, a little bruised but thankfully not crying, "may be time for a game inside," he suggested to Teddy, "why don't you go and find the Exploding Snap cards."

His son, hair flashing blue and red, ran inside. Remus and Sirius followed at a more leisurely pace.

"Cheer up, Sirius," Remus said, "I'm sure Harry and Ginny will pick a great name."

Sirius neither agreed nor disagreed, but his face brightened as he turned towards Remus, "hey Moony, Tonks'll be home soon. When she gets back I bet we'd have time to swing by the Dursley house, maybe do a few spells to make their lives a little more … exciting. I'm sure you'd even be back in time to put Teddy to bed."

"No, Sirius," Remus replied firmly.

Sirius pouted, "you're no fun anymore, Moony. Never mind, I bet Ron and the twins will go with me."

Remus said nothing. He considered warning Molly, one of the few people with any control over Fred and George, but the thought of her likely reaction made him wince. Sirius would find a way no matter what – he might as well leave him to it.

Besides, the Dursleys more than deserved a few pranks.

* * *

"I guess you've heard?"

"Of course I've heard, Harry," said Kingsley with a rueful smile, "I've had your wife in here telling me to put you on suspension until you come to your senses – her words, not mine."

"Merlin," Harry groaned, "you didn't have to get security to escort her out, did you? I know she can be … tenacious when she feels strongly about things."

Kingsley laughed, "that's putting it politely. Don't worry, Harry, I've seen worse. And we didn't need security in the end – lucky too, since I think they're scared of her – because Hermione came in to take her home."

"I'm so sorry, Kingsley …" Harry began.

"No need to apologise," Kingsley said, "we all know Ginny is a force unto herself. And I've always been told it's best not to rile a pregnant witch or you're liable to be permanently transfigured into something nasty."

Harry collapsed onto one of the chairs in front of Kingsley's desk, "I don't want to upset her, but she just doesn't seem to want to understand the reasoning behind the name I suggested. She's just point blank refused to consider it."

"Well, as a confirmed bachelor I cannot say much about marriage," Kingsley told him, "but I think it probably involves a fair bit of compromise on both sides. You've got to try and get her to listen to you, but you also have to listen to her worries as well, and don't dismiss her concerns as lesser to your arguments in favour of the name."

He paused a moment before continuing, "and think carefully about if this is really what you want – it's all well and good to honour the dead, Harry, but this is a child's name and you have to think about what is right for you and that child over any feelings of guilt or gratitude you might have."

"Of course I have the best interests of–" Harry started, riled a little by Kingsley's gentle rebuke.

But he stopped speaking when Kingsley just raised his eyebrows.

"Fine," muttered Harry, after a few seconds of silence, "I'll think about it, and I'll try and see Gin's side too, I promise. I better get back to work – I'll see you next week for dinner at Hermione and Malfoy's, right?"

Kingsley nodded and Harry turned towards the door and left to take his mind off baby names for a while by practicing his dueling with some of the other Aurors.

It was a far less stressful occupation at the moment than trying to have a conversation with his wife.

* * *

"Harry went to see Kingsley," Ron told Hermione and Ginny, "Luna was at the Ministry to do some consulting work with the Unspeakables and she spotted him coming out of the Minister's office."

"He's trying to find validation," Hermione explained, "to get somebody to agree with his name choice."

Ginny's temper flared and they all winced a little – a witch's magic was volatile during pregnancy, especially when emotions ran high.

"If Kingsley has agreed with him on that ridiculous name …" she began.

"Breathe, Gin," Hermione told her, "Kingsley won't have said anything particularly supporting one of you, he tries to be pretty neutral. But I have no doubt that he's reminded Harry about having to really consider decisions like this and that he should not make rash choices he might regret."

"Oh he'll regret it if he doesn't change his mind," Ginny promised, and the fierce look on her face clearly scared her brother enough that he stuttered out an excuse about having to leave and fled the room.

Hermione smiled a little at the fear Ron felt around his little sister before she turned her attention to Ginny.

"You really need to rest, Ginny," Hermione told her friend, "I'm not one to say you can't do things during pregnancy – Merlin knows I've had enough arguments about it with Draco – but all this pacing and anger cannot be good for the baby."

"I just can't take it," Ginny cried out, frustration clear, "he still won't admit it's a bad idea. I know he's having doubts but he can be so stubborn sometimes. And I know he's not the only one who needs to learn to compromise but he just won't listen to me. It's like he doesn't even realise how wrong some of Dumbledore's actions were."

"Professor Dumbledore _was_ a sort of father figure to him, before Sirius came into the picture, and you know how much Harry looked up to him. We're all guilty of being blind to the faults of those we admire sometimes."

"Well, what about Snape?" Ginny demanded.

"I'm sure _that's_ mostly guilt," Hermione told her friend, "because he never trusted Professor Snape and it turned out he'd been working for us the whole time, and specifically to keep Harry alive in honour of Lily Potter's memory. But of course Professor Snape still hated Harry. What he did in keeping Harry safe was motivated probably almost entirely by love – or what he thought was love – for a dead woman, which incidentally was incredibly unhealthy psychologically, I'm sure. But Harry doesn't see that, he's just mired in guilt and trying to overcompensate for never giving Professor Snape the credit he deserved in life – and yes, Gin, despite everything I do think he deserves some credit for what he risked and did for our side."

"I've never seen much good in Snape, Hermione, but I guess he did help us. Can you imagine his reaction, though, if someone told him Harry Potter was naming his son after him? Merlin, I think his expression would be hilarious."

Hermione couldn't help but laugh a bit, "you know, Gin, that gives me an interesting idea for talking some sense into Harry. If I could just get Minerva to help me."

Ginny perked up, "what idea?"

Hermione smiled, "well you know Professor Snape isn't here anymore to scare Harry out of his idea … but he does have a portrait at Hogwarts …"

They both burst out laughing.

* * *

"Sir," Hermione inclined her head respectfully as the portrait of Severus Snape glowered at her.

"Miss Granger. I trust you have a very good reason for disturbing me, and an excellent reason why we had to meet here," he paused to sneer at the painted meadow full of flowers that was the background of the painting he had visited in order to speak privately with her.

"Apologies sir, but I didn't want Professor Dumbledore to listen in. He can be ..."

"Nosy? Manipulative? Tiresome beyond belief? Please don't feel the need to censor yourself Miss Granger. Now that the war is over and I'm dead I no longer have to follow that old coot's ridiculous orders."

Hermione simply nodded, "well you see sir, I was hoping you might talk to Harry."

"Potter! I think not, Miss Granger. It's bad enough that I had to teach that boy for six years. If I never hear the name Potter again it will be too soon, though of course there's little chance of that being stuck in the Head's office with Minerva and bloody Albus."

Hermione sighed. Professor Snape sounded exceptionally bitter and irritated, and while she could see his point of view it really wasn't helpful to her – she couldn't go forward with her plan if Professor Snape wouldn't even speak to Harry.

"Sir, it would really only be a few minutes. You see –"

"Absolutely not Miss Granger."

"But Sir …"

"Miss Granger, I will not change my mind. There is nothing you can say that would induce me to speak to Harry Potter."

"He wants to name his son Albus Severus," Hermione blurted out, "and we really need you to tell him that it's a terrible idea."

Severus Snape looked shell-shocked for the first time Hermione had ever witnessed. Slowly his expression changed to one of horror as he contemplated the idea of his name being forever linked to the name of Potter.

"Bring him here at 10am tomorrow, Miss Granger, and I can assure you that I will persuade him of the utter lunacy of his current course of action."  
Thank you sir," Hermione said quickly before hurrying away.

Professor Snape's portrait looked very angry and she had no desire to be caught in the crossfire of his anger.

* * *

"I can't believe you did that to me," Harry hissed at Hermione as they walked away from the painting Professor Snape had borrowed for his conversation with (or rather rant at) Harry.

Hermione shrugged, "desperate times call for desperate measures, and believe me this is a dire situation."

"He spent forty-five minutes shouting at me, bringing up every single mistake I've ever made that he is aware of, and calling me a presumptuous dunderhead."

"Well you should be thankful he's a portrait. It would have been a thousand times worse if he was alive. Besides, how did you expect him to react?"

"I guess I never thought that he wouldn't like it. I just wanted to honour his sacrifices."

Hermione hugged him warmly, "oh Harry, that's sweet. But I think Professor Snape would rather not have _that_ kind of memorial."

"Yes," Harry muttered as they exited the castle and began walking through the grounds towards the gate, "I think I've had that made quite clear to me now."

* * *

"I thought I'd be seeing you here soon enough, Mr Potter," said Professor McGonagall as she and Harry strolled through the grounds of Hogwarts a week after Harry's last visit to the castle for his talk (or rather dressing down) from Severus Snape's portrait.

"Did Neville tell you?" Harry asked, thinking that his friend's Herbology apprenticeship with Professor Sprout must have offered ample opportunity to mention the fuss over Harry's name choice to the Headmistress.

"He did, as did Miss Granger when she came to visit a week and a half ago. I confess I helped her arrange to speak to Severus' portrait without Albus' knowledge and I apologise if he was unduly harsh with you."

"He was very angry," Harry agreed, "but I guess he did make some good points."

"Severus was never one for the spotlight," Professor McGonagall told him, "he never held himself up as better than he was – morals wise – and quite frequently I believe he did not do himself justice. Whereas Albus would undoubtedly revel in being a namesake to your child I know Severus, as I'm sure he let you know quite vehemently, would hate it."

Harry sighed. What had started as a desire to recognise the sacrifices and aid of two wizards in the war had turned into something far more complicated. He had imagined opposition to his idea, especially given the bad history between many of the Order and Severus Snape, but he had never considered that his family and friends would be as united in their disapproval and shock.

He did not want to admit that he might have been wrong, that he had been perhaps over compensating for the guilt he felt about the war and those he had been unable to save, for the guilt over being unable to help Dumbledore when he drank the cursed potion, or Snape when he was bitten by Nagini.

Ginny and Hermione had always said he let the guilt overwhelm him sometimes, that it was not wrong to grieve but that he couldn't let it eat him up inside.

"What should I do?" he asked, feeling like a first year looking for guidance once more rather than a twenty-five year old war hero, swiftly rising up the ranks of the Aurors.

"I can't give you the answer, Mr Potter, this isn't one of my lessons. This is something you need to figure out for yourself, you and your wife together. I've not always helped you as I should have, Mr Potter. I haven't always been there when you needed someone during your Hogwarts years. But my advice, for what it is worth, is that you should enjoy this time and not think about names for a while. Take some time to pamper your wife and do things together, just the two of you. Come back to the idea of names later on with a fresh outlook. And don't worry if you're still struggling when the time comes – I've heard many a parent say that they don't truly decide on a name until their child is in their arms."

"Thanks Professor," Harry said with a smile, feeling mightily relieved, "and you're right. I don't want to spend the whole pregnancy arguing with Gin. I just hope we agree when the time comes."

"Don't worry Mr Potter, I'm sure it will all work out in the end. I have faith in you."

And for the first time since he had revealed his idea to Ginny, Harry felt like the whole situation would be just fine.

* * *

 _Epilogue – Four Months Later_

Harry beamed down at his new-born son as Ginny lay on the bed, sweaty and with a face as red as her hair but grinning nonetheless.

The baby wrinkled his nose and closed the emerald green eyes he had inherited from Harry, clearly tired. He didn't have much hair but what he did have promised to be the dark colour of his father's. It looked like Harry would be getting a miniature doppelganger.

"Go on and show him off then," his wife told him, "I need a good nap before he gets hungry again and you know if everyone doesn't see him soon they'll just barge in en masse."

Cradling the baby gently Harry leaned down to kiss his wife softly before moving towards the door, "come on little man, let's go meet your family."

Everyone looked up as he came out. They had taken over the waiting room. The many Weasleys, Hermione (in her eighth month of pregnancy and hexing anyone who dared to mention the size of her stomach) and Malfoy, Sirius, Remus and Tonks, Neville and Luna, Kingsley, and Minerva. He could see them all fighting the urge to crowd him so that they could coo at the baby and he fought a smile at their attempts to restrain their eagerness to see his son.

He shifted the baby in his arms so that all his family and friends could get a good look at him, "everyone, I'd like you to meet Albus Severus Potter."

They were all silent as they looked at him, their faces frozen in identical horror.

Everything was still for a few seconds, before he could bear it no longer and his serious expression melted away to show a mischievous smile, "relax guys, you talked me out of that, I promise. This is Aiden James Prewett Potter."

Sighs of relief greeted his pronouncement, as well as a teary smile from Molly Weasley and outright sobbing from Hermione (who immediately blamed her pregnancy hormones and smacked Malfoy when he laughed at her), and they all surged forward to get a better look at the new Potter.

All was well.

* * *

 **Harry and Ginny's name choice came about because he eventually took on board everyone's disagreement with the choice of Albus Severus but he also ended up considering the idea that maybe his child should have a first name all their own – in canon his three children's first and middle names all come from series characters, five of the six being dead, and it also seems unbalanced towards Harry's side (his parents, godfather, headmaster/mentor, guilt about Snape) with only the middle name of Luna a possible nod to Ginny (and Luna was both of their friends so we can't be sure with that). It isn't depicted in this fic but in this story's universe Harry and Ginny end up with three children in total and they are named as follows to give them their own unique first names and honour both Harry and Ginny's families/friends for middle names.**

 **Aiden James Prewett Potter – Edward Arthur Sirius Potter – Elizabeth Lily Luna Potter**


End file.
